twelve easy steps
by childoffaith24680
Summary: roger, halts new aprentice, finds a journal of wills , giving twelve easy steps to survive apprenticeship. the story has taken an unnexpected turn, and im going off on a limb about roger. i would like reviews on this story. pls. pls pls pls pls pls reviw!
1. Chapter 1

Roger, Halts new apprentice, plopped down tiredly on his new bed. This was the end of his first day as Halts apprentice, and Roger wasn't sure he would be able to survive. He has been through a lot today, and all he wanted to do was sleep. Roger practically threw his head on the pillow, and as soon as his head landed he sat back up quickly, nearly yelping in surprise. Instead of the comforting softness he had been expecting, he was met with a hard lump. He picked up the pillow and felt around for the lump. He quickly found it and reached into the pillowcase. He withdrew a book. Overcome with curiosity, he opened the book to the first page. On it were the words "Wills notes on apprenticeship". Roger flipped to the next page excitedly. He had heard of Will, Halt's apprentice, before. Who hadn't? On the next page, scribbled in a slightly sloppy penmanship were these notes:

How to Survive with Halt

Never answer a question with a question. Halt does not like this, and you will regret it.

Never sing "Greybeard Halt", at least not while he is within hearing range.

NEVER insult a courtier. If you do, Halt might not be the only one coming after you…

Always pay attention to details, even in mapping. a river suddenly appearing out of nowhere might be a surprise to those cavalry you are leading over there.

Practice.

Never give your horse more than one apple when Halt is looking. If he isn't, fire away!

You know, it's so important I'm going to say it again: practice.

Make sure you clean the cabin spotless. You will never get Halt off your back unless you do.

Never take a break before its time for bed. That one time you decide to take a quick nap might be the moment Halt comes walking through those doors.

When Old Bob tells you the password you have to tell your horse to get on, don't repeat it out loud. If you do, Old Bob or Halt will reply with "say it to the horse, not to me," this appears to be a classic joke among the rangers.

Listen to Halt.

Don't mention Genovesans to Halt. That is a very touchy subject…

And there the list ended. Roger was tempted to read more, but was much too tired to continue. Before he went to sleep, Roger decided to ask Halt about Genovesans…


	2. Chapter 2

Roger was cleaning the kitchen's pots and pans, for the millionth time, due to Halts insistence that you should be able to see your reflection on every surface. He put down the scrubber and put the now-sparkling pan he had been cleaning back on the shelf where they sat. Halt came in to inspect Rogers work, and Roger decided to ask him a question.

"Halt, I have a question."

"Dangerous stuff," Halt muttered as he took the pot down from the shelf and began to examine it.

"What?"

"Never mind," Halt said.

"So, I have a question."

"You already said that." Halt pointed out.

"Yes, now, I was wondering- what are Genovesans?" Halt whipped around to face Roger.

"Where did you hear of Genovesans?" halt shouted. Roger wondered what to say.

"Did you see one?" Halt asked.

"Uhh…"

"What did he look like?" Halt continued, seeming comfortable with answering his own question.

"Umm… he was wearing… purple?" Roger said, rattling off his mother favorite color.

"Where did you see him?" Halt exclaimed. Roger didn't want to say anything, but Halt's smoldering gaze made him forget about that.

"In… the forest?" Roger was getting worried about Halt. Who were Genovesans? And why did Halt seem so paranoid about them? Couldn't rangers handle anything?

"We have got to go." Halt declared. Roger blanked out for a second. Go where? to look for the Genovesan? In his defense, he never told Halt there were any Genovesans, Halt had answered that for himself.

"Why do we have to go?" Roger asked.

Halt, who was about to walk out the door, turned and said, "Do you know who Genovesans are?" Halt paused for a moment. He guessed by the boys confused look he didn't. "They are assassins, paid assasins. They have crossbows, and are great with knives. But that isn't the worst. They are experts on poisons. I nearly died because of a poisoned crossbow bolt. If someone has hired a Genovesan to come here, I can guarantee there will be trouble." With that, Halt turned for the door, picked up his arrows and knives, and walked from the door. Roger scrambled after him, picking up his arrows and bow before leaving the cabin and closing the creaky door. "maybe Halt will give up after a while, and we can go back," Roger thought to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Roger had been trekking with Halt for over an hour. Ever since Halt had gotten it in his mind that there were Genovesans around, Roger had not been able to get the idea out of his head. Roger had tried everything; from saying he must have been mistaken to suggesting the Genovesan must have moved somewhere else. Halt wouldn't let go of the thought. He was just stubborn.

"Let's go look over there," Halt said, pointing to the left. Roger sighed. As they were walking to where he had pointed, he saw a flash of purple. Roger whipped around quickly. What was that? Was Halt just getting to him? Roger pretended to be scanning the ground for tracks. suddenly he thought he saw a figure crouched in the pushes.

"um… H-H-Halt?" Roger stammered.

"yes?"

"umm…" roger was breaking into a sweat. He could still see the figure, carefully concealed in the brush.

"are you trying to say something, or trying to hum a tune?" halt asked.

"I- I- its- look over there," roger said, casually tilting his head in the direction of the person. Halt turned is head slightly. Though he seemed to be completely calm, roger could see a bead of perspiration on his brow.

"what are we going to do?" roger whispered.

"Firstly, don't die. Secondly, try to kill him, if you can." Roger could tell by Halts tone that he really didn't believe he could do it. Roger sighed. He probably couldn't.


	4. Chapter 4

The purple man adjusted his position. Though they were obviously trying to look like they didn't see him, but he could tell the two people in the small clearing had seen him. The slightly taller one, with the cloak, unobtrusively reached for an arrow. The Genovesan narrowed his eyes. The man appeared to know what he was doing. The Genovesan carefully loaded his crossbow. The cloaked man slowly pivoted to face the man in purple. The Genovesan quickly pointed the crossbow and fired.

Roger carefully watched the Genovesan. Halt was loading his longbow. The Genovesan suddenly loaded his crossbow.

"Halt?" Roger whispered.

"yes," Halt said distractedly. Just then, the Genovesan fired.

"HALT!" Roger shouted as the bolt flew.


	5. Chapter 5

At Rogers outcry, Halt fell to the ground. He heard a whizzing sound, and then a _thunk._ Halt jumped back up and swung his bow in the direction of the Genovesan. But he was already gone. Halt rushed up to where the Genovesan was and began to study the ground. He motioned to roger to come forward.

"You might as well get a lesson out of this," Halt said. Roger walked up next to halt. "Which way did he go?" Halt asked. Roger looked at the thousands of cracked and broken twigs to the south. Roger pointed that way.

"Good, now we need to go back to the cabin," Halt said, walking back towards the cabin.

"Wait, where are we going?" Roger asked.

"To gather our belongings, then, we leave," Halt said without stopping. Roger rushed to catch up with him. It was his second day as an apprentice, and he already was on a mission.


	6. Chapter 6

When they got back to the cabin, Roger was panting heavily, while Halt looked like he could go for another mile. Halt swung open the door and began to pack his belongings, along with food and other necessities. Roger walked into his room and packed his clothing, which wasn't much. Half an hour later, Halt was packed. Roger slung his pack over his shoulders and began to walk back into the forest.

"You're going the wrong way," Halt said, walking over to the stable where his horse was. Roger stopped in his tracks. The wrong way? Weren't they going after the Genovesan? Roger walked back over to Halt, who was putting all the packs and saddle bags onto the horse. Halt began to walk in the opposite direction roger was going. Roger trudged after him, wondering where they were going.

After an hour of going in what roger thought was the wrong direction, roger decided to ask a question.

"Where are we going?"

"to visit a friend," Halt said.

"how far away is this friend?" roger questioned.

"well, if you had been quiet for a few more seconds, you would have seen his house from here," Halt said, pointing ahead. roger looked ahead and could barely make out a cabin in the distance. Who was Halts friend?

**Who do you think Halts friend is? Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

As they neared the house, an old man emerged from it. Halt waved to him, and the man returned the gesture. When they reached him, he stuck out his hand good-naturedly towards Roger.

"Hello, there, my name's Old Bob. You must be Halt's new apprentice." The man, Bob, said.

"My names Roger," Roger said, shaking Bob's hand.

"Bob, this lad needs a horse," Halt said.

"That would be explaining why you came to me," Bob said, nodding. The man turned around and began to walk towards the stable, which Roger had not noticed. Bob went inside and came out, leading a smoky black horse. He beckoned for them to come over, and they did so. Bob handed the reins to Roger, who gripped them nervously.

"'er name's Grace." Bob said. Roger stroked her black mane uncertainly. "Why don't you try to ride her?" Bob suggested. Roger eyed Halt and Bob warily. Roger recalled something from Will's journal…

"What's the catch?" Roger asked. Halt smiled.

"Well, to ensure that your horse isn't stolen, there is a sort of password you have to say to the horse, otherwise it will fling ya,"

"So, what is Grace's password?" Roger asked.

"As good as it gets," Bob said. Roger turned to the horse and whispered it in her ear. He then turned back to the two. They looked slightly disappointed, but mostly pleased. "Now ride 'er." Bob said.

Now, Roger had only ridden a horse a few times, on horse rides in festivals, and had no idea what to do. He climbed onto the horses back and fell off the other side.

"May I make a suggestion," Halt asked, holding back laughter.

"Sure," Roger puffed, making another attempt to scale Grace's back.

"You might want to try saddling and bridling her, first," Halt said. Roger sighed, and Bob laughed. Roger went inside the stable and came out carrying a saddle and bridle, which were together quite heavy. He laid them in the dirt next to Grace, and after a few minutes of instruction from Bob and a few tries later he had her saddled up and ready to go. Roger climbed aboard, and found himself facing the wrong way! Bob was laughing hysterically, and fell off the fence he had been sitting on. As Bob got back on the fence, still laughing, roger tried again. He finally managed to get back onto Grace without getting on the wrong way, and Roger suddenly had no idea what to do. He looked to Halt, who just nodded to him to get moving.

"Could I get a little help, here?" Roger whispered to the horse. Grace whinnied, and then began to walk around the corral. Roger began to carefully experiment with the reigns, trying to figure out how to steer. After a while, he figured out how to get the horse to stop, go, and turn left or right. As he was riding Grace, Bob called out tips and instruction, sometimes telling him about the special tricks the ranger horses could do.

Finally Bob said, "good job, now let's see how you do outside the fence," and with that, Bob opened the latch securing the gate. Roger carefully led Grace from the stable, then tapped his heels against her side. Time to see how fast she can go, Roger thought.

Grace took off like a bullet, and it was all roger could do to stay on. He finally managed to get a hold of the reigns again and began to turn Grace around. When they were heading back for the stable, Roger was surprised how far they had gone. In a few seconds they reached the stable, and Roger pulled back on the reigns. Grace came to a halt, and Halt and Bob hopped off the fence. Roger slipped down from the saddle. Bob shook his hand and said, "That was some mighty fine riding, you did there." Roger wondered what was fine about it. he had nearly fallen off multiple times, and had lost his grip on the reins.

"Nice to have visited, Bob, but we have to go," Halt said, walking over to the stables. He emerged with his horse, and Halt took some of Rogers bags off Abelard and tossed them to him. They hit roger in the face. Roger scrambled to pick them up, and then began to secure them to Grace, who didn't seem to mind. Halt got onto his horse, and roger did the same. As they rode away, roger waved farewell to Bob. Roger looked ahead once more and thought, "We're going on an adventure."

**I know the last sentence was a bit corney, but I couldn't think of how to end the chapter. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Roger and Halt returned to where they had seen the Genovesan and though Roger thought they would just continue from there following him, Halt pulled out a map.

"What's the map for?" Roger asked.

"You'd think you would know what a map is used for by now, wouldn't you?" Halt asked. Roger sighed. Halt rolled out the large map and looked at Roger. Apparently, this was another quiz for him. Halt pointed to their current location, and then asked, "Where is the Genovesan going?" Halt obviously had the answer already, but wanted Roger to figure it out himself.

Roger took the map from Halts hands and studied it. Genovesans are trained assassins, Roger mused. With his thumb on their location, he traced a path south. "Where _is_ he going?" Roger thought. Then he saw it. Duncan's Palace.


	9. Chapter 9

Dear readers,

I am afraid this isn't another chapter to the story of Roger. I would just like to inform all of you that I just got back from thanksgiving break, and am stuck in the never ending chamber of boredom we call school, so I will not be able to produce chapters as quickly. I will do my best to start putting more up, though.


	10. Chapter 10

They had been riding for at least an hour when Halt turned in his saddle to face Roger, who rode behind. "Do you know how to use a striker?" Halt asked the boy.

"Uh, no?"

"Don't answer a question with a question. Have you or haven't you?"

"No, I haven't." Roger clarified.

"Then I will teach you," Halt said. Reaching into his saddlebags, he withdrew a strange object. It was a cylindrical pole as long as a person's fist, with two metal spheres at each end, each being about the size of a child's palm. "Catch!" Halt said, tossing the object to Roger. He caught it with his left hand, and then transferred it to his right. "are you right or left-handed, boy?" Halt asked.

"Both," Roger said.

"Alright then. Now, to the lesson," Halt said. Roger thought he sounded like a teacher beginning a lesson. As the horses plodded along on course, Halt showed Roger how to use a striker, its many uses, and gave some examples of times it had come in handy. Roger found himself slightly unimpressed with the seemingly simple weapon. His disapproval must have shown on his face because Halt said, "Does it not meet your approval, boy?"

"Er, well, it doesn't look that dangerous-"At those words, Halt took the striker and flung it with deadly accuracy at a tree a few yards off. The striker struck against the tree and chipped off a huge hunk of wood, which flew at least a yard away from the tree, as did the striker.

"Does it meet with your approval now?" Halt asked, dismounting to retrieve the weapon.

"Yes, yes it does. Roger said, dazed. Hal walked up to the weapon, picked it up, and returned to the horses. Sticking the striker back in the saddlebag, he mounted his horse and began to ride off. Roger spurred his horse to keep up. _"_I've sure got a lot to learn," Roger thought.


	11. Chapter 11

King Duncan was talking with some of his advisors in the great hall. A waiter, wearing purple tights, put a glass of water before thing king. Duncan, thirsty from talking, reached for the glass of water. He took a long sip, and was slightly surprised by the strange taste. Oh well, he thought, water is water. King Duncan continued to talk with his advisors. As he spoke, he began to feel weaker and weaker. He leaded against one of the large arm rests of his throne.

"Daddy, daddy!" Cassandra called, walking through the big double doors. Duncan turned his attention to his daughter. His vision suddenly blurred.

"Father," Cassandra said, realizing she had interrupted his business. "I was wondering if I could go and visit some of my friends in-"Suddenly Duncan began to sag in his chair. "Daddy!" Cassandra cried, rushing to her father's side. The advisors rose from their chairs, all in shock.

They all began to frantically call out orders to the others, trying to get help for him. No one was listening to the other, and no one was heard. In the chaos, no one noticed the waiter in the purple tights slip in and retrieve the half-empty glass. The waiter slipped out before anyone noticed.

Duncan had been moved into his room by some of the servants. He was laid in his bed, covers over him, unconscious. Cassandra knelt at his bedside, tears streaming down her face. Horace stood beside her, trying to comfort her. "Is there anything you can do for him?" Cassandra asked through her tears. One of the many doctors nearby shook his head sadly.

"I'm afraid we don't know what was wrong with him all we can do now is wait."


	12. Chapter 12

The sun was setting and Roger was absolutely exhausted by the time the castle came in sight. First, he could make out the castles turrets in the distance, then, as they came nearer, the entire palace come into view. The castles guards looked like ants crawling along the top of the wall. There were a few lights beginning to shine as darkness gathered.

Roger and Halt had heard rumors of something happening over at the palace, but it seemed to be very hush-hush. Halt feared the worst., and as they drew nearer to the palace began to talk much less than usual. Respecting his silence, Roger didn't try to engage him in conversation.

They finally reached the large gates of the palace. The guards seemed to be tenser than usual. "state your name and business!" one called down gruffly. Halt seemed to be in a similar mood.

"Open the gates," Halt shouted.

"I said for you to state your name and business, peasant!

"Open the blasted gates!" Halt yelled. Apparently, he wasn't in the best of moods. "I am a subject of the king! That should be reason enough for you to open the gates! Now hop to it, man!"

"I said for you to state you name and business, churl!"

"It's Halt the ranger. Now, hurry up and open these gates before I put an arrow in your back!" Halt seemed quite willing to make good on his threat, because he reached for an arrow from his quiver. The guard, who looked to be in his late forties, jumped to attention, and began to yell for the gates to be opened. Slowly but surely, the gates began to open. Roger sighed with relief. They had been riding nonstop for at least two days, and though the horses didn't seem to mind, Roger was absolutely exhausted. Roger and halt nudged there horses on. Much to the two's surprise, as soon as they entered the gates, guards quickly surrounded them.

"lay down your weapons!" one guard said, pointing a spear at Halt and Roger. Roger put his bow and quiver down, along with the striker. As for Halt, the guards as well as Roger seemed surprised by how many weapons and devices halt was putting on the ground. Finally, halt finished putting down his artillery, he turned to the guard who had spoken.

"may I ask why we are being detained?" Halt asked, still in a foul mood.

"Don't talk, just walk," the guard said, using the spear to usher them into a side door. Two other guards picked up their weapons.

The next thing the two knew, they were locked in a dungeon. The cells floor was covered in a damp straw, and there were two cots, with its blankets crawling with fleas and other vermin. The only thing that seemed to be well-taken-care-of was the cell bars, which had absolutely no rust covering it.

"Now, why do you think they locked us up down here?" Halt asked, glaring at anything there was to glare at. Mainly Roger.

"now, I'm no expert, but it might have something to do with you threatening to shoot the guard." Roger suggested calmly. Despite their circumstances, Roger had full faith in Halt ability to get out of any situation.

"it wasn't a threat, it was a warning," Halt said.

"either way, you looked like you were about to put an arrow through that fellows head. Not that I would have minded that much, he was quite the churl himself, though I don't think anyone else would approve of your methods."

"I never asked for their approval. Why hasn't someone come to get us out of here? Surly someone would have notified the king, or the princess, or at least Horace, for goodness sake!"

"so how are we going to get out of here?" Roger asked.

"we are going to break out, of couse," Halt said.

"I fully expected that, but how are we going to do it?"

"well, a guard should be back sometime to check up on us, and when he comes by, we simply knock him out and grab the keys. Of course, we would have to wait a few days to figure out how much time there is between each watch, and then theres the getting back out through the gates, and we need to retrieve our horses."

"I don't think we have that much time."

"are you saying we just run for it?"

"pretty much."

"sounds good to me."

The plan had gone pretty much according to plan, they had gotten the guards keys and tied them up until someone found him. Now they had to run out before they were seen. Of course, Halt wanted to turn this into a lesson, seeing it as a great learning experience.

"when you are hiding from someone, hold still. even when you are sure you have been seen, don't move a muscle. That could be the difference between life and death. You understand?" Halt said. Roger nodded. Halt drew his hood up. Roger copied. They slowly woked their way up the stairs, not wanting to make a sound in the echoing hall. As they were working their way up, a guard began to come down the stairs.


End file.
